English Boom Historical Park: A Camano Island Gem

English Boom Historical Park is a hidden gem of public land on the north shore of Camano Island. This six-acre park overlooks the mud flats of Skagit Bay, and has 900 feet of waterfront. The park contains a scenic trail that wind through a salt marsh. The habitat is perfect for supporting diverse bird life, including eagles, herons, and falcons. Not surprisingly, this is a favorite place for birdwatching groups.

Looking north and west on a clear day, you can see Mount Baker and Mount Pilchuck. Weathered pilings remain from the old log booms.

If you're lucky you might come across shorebirds such as the killdeer. The most noticeable characteristic about the killdeer is its high, plaintive shrill cry, which you can listen to here.

Getting There 
To get to English Boom Historical Park take Hwy 532 onto Camano Island, and turn north on Good Rd, which becomes Utsalady Rd. Turn right on Moore Rd (at Camano Island Airfield) and follow the road to the end.

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At the park entrance, there's a picnic shelter and parking for about a dozen vehicles.

History of English Boom
The tidelands and shoreline at English Boom are part of what were once large log storage yards called log booms.

In the 1920s and 30s the English Lumber Company logged the upland forests east of Stanwood and Mt. Vernon, transporting the timber by rail to the Tom Moore Slough at Milltown. There the Tom Moore Boom Company sorted, graded, and rafted the logs so that tugboats could haul them to sawmills all over Puget Sound.

For a time, the Tom Moore Boom Company employed up to 20 men and stored as many as 15 million board feet of logs in booms. The log boom was closed in 1945 when the English Lumber Company was sold to the Puget Sound Pulp & Timber Company.

Purchase of the land for the English Boom Historical Park was made possible through the efforts and sponsorship of Friends of Camano Island Parks. The property was acquired in 1997 and was the first public park property on Camano Island purchased with Island County Conservation Futures Funds.

Other Day Trips
Here’s a list of other Redmond Library blog postings on days trips in the Seattle area:

The Long and Windy Road: A Visit to the Wild Horse Wind Farm

Experience Washington: Your Staycation Travel Guide

Washington's Lighthouses: Point No Point

Padilla Bay Shore Trail: A Path to Nature

Historic Murals: A Walk Along Bothell's Past